Love is Never Over
by RamblingFox2501
Summary: Mysterious deaths are happening all over Japan, Tsuzuki has his hands tied, and he immediately suspects Muraki.  Then, two beautiful girls come between him and Muraki and they both begin to have nightmares.  How will things turn out for everyone?
1. Prologue and Stage 1

**Woohoo! My first **_**Yami no Matsuei**_** crossover! This story is a cross between Matsushita-san's **_**Yami no Matsuei **_**and Atlus's horror/romance/drama/suspense game **_**Catherine**_**. Now, I don't normally write romance stories, so bear with me if you plan on reading this to the very end.**

**Also, though there is a yaoi (twenty-five guesses who the couple is) relationship in this story, this story mostly focuses on heterosexual relationships. This makes sense if you happen to know the story behind **_**Catherine**_**. If you're here exclusively for the yaoi, then I am sorry to disappoint you.**

**Text guide 1:**

**Regular speech: **"Hello!"

**Thoughts: **_Am I really going to enjoy this story?_

**Monster speaking: "You!"**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

_It is midnight at a cafe in Nagasaki. The cafe looks normal and it seems to be empty, but inside, a story is being told. On one of the tables is a TV, and sitting next to it is a woman wearing a revealing latex outfit. She is wearing lots of gold jewelry and she has a large, attention-grabbing red afro on her head._

_"When the night sky fills with glamour, a lovely story awaits you. Good evening, and welcome to the Golden Playhouse. Your guide for the night is me, 'The Midnight Venus', Trisha!"_

_The TV flickers to life, showing the Golden Playhouse logo for a few seconds before the title card "Love is Never Over" appears in its place._

_"For you readers who are familiar with the story 'Catherine'," Trisha said, "here is a fanfiction treat for you. This is a similar story, only it is crossing over with the manga 'Yami no Matsuei'."_

_Various short clips of events that are yet to come flash across the screen. Trisha goes on, "This story centers around two men: Asato Tsuzuki, a hormonally imbalanced shinigami, and Kazutaka Muraki, a murderous doctor in white. These two men have crossed paths many times before, and two very different relationships developed quickly. Tsuzuki loathes Muraki, but Muraki loves Tsuzuki! _

_"Then one day, mysterious deaths begin to occur all over Japan. Tsuzuki has his hands tied and Muraki has already become his first suspect. As if nothing else could happen, two lovely ladies appear and step between the two men, and they both begin to have horrific nightmares. Relationships are created, destroyed, and ultimately put to the test. How will it all end? Well, readers, you will have to read this fanfiction to the very end to find out._

_"And now, without further ado, here is 'Love is Never Over'. See you after the show…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Stage 1: The Underground Cemetery<strong>

Tsuzuki found himself crouching in complete darkness, clutching onto his pillow like a frightened child. He heard a door open up behind him and magenta light poured in. He turned around and saw an open doorway flooded with the magenta light.

That was when he noticed the sheep.

They had black faces, hooves, and hands and dirty white wool. What unnerved Tsuzuki was that the sheep had red eyes and that they could walk on their hind legs. They all seemed just as equally confused about the situation as he was.

"Ah, welcome." A child's voice rang out. "Tonight, you will be visiting the Underground Cemetery. Learn quickly, or you will surely fall to your death."

"Death?"

"What the hell?"

These were among the various exclamations that Tsuzuki and the sheep cried out. He didn't know why, but Tsuzuki found himself walking towards the door along with all the other sheep. When he crossed through the door, he found himself standing on a row of large blocks. He looked around wildly and saw that the sheep were nowhere to be found.

He turned to his right and saw walls and more rows of blocks stacked on top of and alongside each other. He looked to his left and saw more walls and rows that descended downwards. He turned around and, to his horror, he found that the door was missing.

"What?" Tsuzuki couldn't believe it.

He heard something rumbling from below and he looked down. His eyes widened as he saw the blocks drop down to the bottomless chasm below, row by row. If he stayed where he was, then he would surely fall too. Tsuzuki tried to fly, but found that he couldn't. He tried to take some fuda out of his pocket, but he found that he was wearing nothing but his cupcake-patterned boxers. Just to see if he could, he tried summoning one of his shikigami, but nothing appeared*.

"Oh shit!" Tsuzuki looked back down at the falling rows of blocks. "What am I going to do?"

"Hey you down there!" A voice called up from above. "Hurry up and climb!"

Tsuzuki looked up and saw a white, faraway speck standing on top of one of the higher blocks. He figured that it was a sheep that was calling to him, but he still shouted back, "Who are you?"

"Does it really matter at this point?" The sheep called back down. "Just climb or you'll die!"

"Die?" Tsuzuki looked back down and muttered to himself, "But I can't die! I'm a shinigami for crying out loud!"

That thought quickly changed as he saw a sheep fall to his death from his left, crying out, "Heeeeeeeelp meeeeeee!" Tsuzuki faced the wall and, seeing a ledge that he could climb up on, started making his way up.

He climbed up until he came to a wall with no climbable ledges. Tsuzuki pounded his fists on one block in frustration. He was very surprised to find that the block moved forward and fell to the bottomless abyss. It didn't take a genius to figure that if one can push a block, then one can pull it as well. Somehow, he managed to grab another block by its sides, despite it being snuggly wedged between two other blocks, and pull it out.

In the process of pulling the block out, Tsuzuki's feet walked over the edge and he fell. He cried out in surprise and he managed to grip onto the edge before he fell. He turned his head to look down and saw that the rows of blocks were still falling. He whimpered and looked back up. Seeing that the block he had just pulled out prevented him from pulling himself up in that spot, he shimmied over to the side and pulled himself up there. From there, he continued his climb.

From there, he kept pulling and pushing blocks as he ascended towards the top, or where he hoped the top will be. Eventually, he heard the sound of a church bell ringing and he saw a small column of light shining on one particular spot at the top. His hopes of escaping raised, Tsuzuki kept climbing until he finally reached the highest block.

Hovering in front of it was a red door, which also happened to be under the column of light. Tsuzuki looked over the edge and saw that there were several floors of blocks below him, still collapsing. Deciding not to question the broken laws of physics, he grabbed the handle of the door and swung it open.

White light poured out of the doorway, and he couldn't see what was on the other side. The light was comforting, and that was enough for him. However, just as he was about to step into the light, he remembered something.

"Where's that sheep that helped me out?" Tsuzuki asked out loud.

He quickly figured that it must have gone through the door as well. He turned his attention back to the door…then he heard something from the bottomless abyss below him. He slowly turned his head, afraid of what he might see.

**"Freak!"**

**"Monster!"**

**"Demon!"**

As these words were shouted, several long, giant arms rose out of the abyss with large rocks and sticks in their hands. Tsuzuki yelped with fear and ran through the door, slamming it shut behind him in the process.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 1, 6:00 a.m., Urayasu, Room 306 at <strong>_**The Kyasha**_

Tsuzuki woke up with a start. He knew he had a bad nightmare, but he couldn't remember what it was about. He sat up and a puzzled look appeared on his face.

He was in an unfamiliar looking room. The walls were white and the curtains that covered the only window were black. There were two doors and the only furniture that was present was the canopy bed he was sleeping on. He looked over the edge and saw two sets of clothes scattered all over the floor. He recognized some of them as his, but the other set of clothes looked very familiar. He looked over himself and, to his surprise, found himself naked.

"Must be another nightmare." Tsuzuki softly said to himself. "Maybe if I go back to sleep…"

He shut his eyes and he rested his head back on his pillow…but something was not right. The pillow moved slowly up and down…and it had a steady heartbeat. Tsuzuki's eyes shot open and he sat up once more. He took a good look at his "pillow" and his jaw dropped.

Sleeping on the bed was a familiar looking man with short, silver hair and pale skin. He, too, was naked, but compared to Tsuzuki, he had a body that rivaled Michelangelo's "David". He opened one eye and saw Tsuzuki gaping at him. The dull, gray iris of his eye seemed to sparkle and he gave a seductive, and seemingly, satisfied smile.

All Tsuzuki could do was scream at the top of his lungs like a girl, "WHAT THE FUCK!"

* * *

><p><strong>Short chapter, I know, but it is the first one after all. Next time, how is this situation going to be explained? Also, Tsuzuki has a new case to work on. For sure, the next chapter is going to be much longer.<strong>

***= In Yami no Matsuei, shinigami have the ability to fly, in addition to turning invisible. They can use paper slips called fuda for various things, from protection barriers to purifying any evil spirits. Shikigami are deities that shinigami, mostly Tsuzuki, can summon to aid them in battle or other things.**

**Expect long chapters in this story. I thought I should be on the safe side and mention that.**


	2. Day 1

**If I owned Matsushita-san's **_**Yami no Matsuei**_**, then Tsuzuki wouldn't be a constant target of affection for Muraki and The Count. If I owned Atlus's **_**Catherine**_**, then I would get rid of Vincent's afro. Fortunately for all the fans out there, I don't own either of these works.**

**Odds are, I might accidentally make Muraki out of character, just because I can't quite seem to grasp his personality.**

**Paragraph Guide:**

**~: point of view change**

**Text Guide 2:**

**Flashback: **_"Thinking back…"_

* * *

><p><strong>6:03 a.m., Urayasu, Room 306 at <strong>_**The Kyasha**_

Tsuzuki scrambled off the bed and cowered in the corner that was furthest away from his most hated enemy. The man with the silver hair slowly sat up and asked, "Why so tense, Tsuzuki-san?"

"Muraki!" Tsuzuki screamed as he now started to gather his clothes and put them back on. "What the_ hell_ am I doing with you?"

"Don't you remember, Tsuzuki-san? I snatched your partner so that you would come to me." Muraki pulled out a tape recorder from underneath the bed and showed it to Tsuzuki. With the grin still on his face, he pressed the "play" button.

Painful wheezes could be heard from it, along with a few words: "Tsuzuki… _ugh_, damn you Muraki!"

Tsuzuki now remembered the events of yesterday. He went to Urayasu to buy some sweets for himself and Chief Konoe. He stumbled across Muraki, who said that he had kidnapped Hisoka. As proof, he played a recording of Hisoka's voice to him. Muraki went on to say that if Tsuzuki didn't go out to dinner with him, then he would torture Hisoka (shinigami couldn't really be killed, yet they could still feel pain). Having no choice in the matter, Tsuzuki complied.

They had both gone out for sushi and sake that night. Tsuzuki shortly became sick and Muraki had to take him out of the restaurant, telling him that maybe the sushi wasn't properly prepared. Now that Tsuzuki thought back, though, the sushi tasted fine, but the sake on the other hand, tasted kind of odd. He now thought that maybe Muraki had spiked his drink last night.

Either way, Muraki took an ill Tsuzuki to a fancy love hotel called _The Kyasha_. Once they were in a room, Tsuzuki was too weak to fend off Muraki's advances. After that…

"Oh gods!" Tsuzuki covered his mouth and tried not to vomit.

"Remember now?" Muraki slid out of bed and slowly approached his beloved shinigami.

"What about Hisoka?" Tsuzuki demanded as he moved along the wall and away from his enemy.

"Him? Oh, that recording was an old one I took when I first kidnapped that poppet; he was never in any danger."

Tsuzuki gaped. He had been tricked this whole time? He was glad that Hisoka was never in harm's way, but still, the very idea that he was tricked made him mad. He gritted his teeth and snarled, "Muraki, you snake!"

"What else could I do, Tsuzuki-san?" Muraki shrugged. "I wanted you for the night and I didn't want to go through all the trouble of kidnapping the kid again just to get your attention. But, I now have to wonder, Tsuzuki-san, how well did you sleep last night?" A look of concern appeared on his face. "You look very tired. Hmm…as a doctor, I think you need a few more hours of sleep. Come back to bed with me, Tsuzuki-san." He offered his hand.

"Hell no!"

Tsuzuki bolted past Muraki and ran for the door. He opened it halfway, only to see that the bolt was in place. Frustrated, he closed the door again and undid the bolt. Just as he was about to open the door again, he felt someone breathing against his face.

"Are you sure?" He heard Muraki breathe into his ear. "It _really_ looked like you were enjoying yourself last night."

Tsuzuki's face turned red at his enemy's closeness. He shoved Muraki off of him, opened the door, and ran as fast as his legs could go.

* * *

><p><strong>6:35 a.m., The Ministry of Hades, Meeting Room 1-A<strong>

"Where the hell have you been, Tsuzuki?" Chief Konoe demanded.

Tsuzuki had entered a meeting room back at the Judgment Bureau. There, Chief Konoe, Hisoka, Tatsumi, and Watari were present. The room was dark and some slides were being shown from a projector. Tsuzuki took a seat next to his partner and answered the chief, "Sorry, I had a rough day yesterday."

"You didn't report back yesterday!" The chief fumed. "We were worried about you! Just where have you been?"

"Later…" Tsuzuki lowered his head and rested it on one hand.

Hisoka gazed at his partner with worry-filled emerald eyes. Being an empath, he could pick up on Tsuzuki's feelings. His eyes widened, then lowered as various visions flashed in his mind's eye. A look of disgust appeared on his face, but he said nothing. Tatsumi saw this look on Hisoka's face and, trying to change the topic, asked Chief Konoe, "Can we please get back to the meeting?"

"Well, yes." Chief Konoe walked over to the projector and rewound it. He pushed a button and the slides began to play again. The projector displayed nothing but pictures of mummified men in beds, with frozen expressions of horror on their faces.

"For the past few days," the chief explained, "there have been reports of young men dying mysteriously in their beds. According to the Count, their names have appeared on the Kiseki-."

"Meaning these deaths aren't natural." Watari finished for him. "As for their actual cause of death, even I am forced to admit that I have no clue. They have all been mummified, and just look at their eyes!"

Tsuzuki now noticed that all the men shown had yellow eyes with sideways oval-shaped pupils. He pointed out, "They're sheep eyes."

"Indeed." Watari nodded. "It only adds to the mystery, and because they are mummified, we can't get an estimated time of death."

"What the victims have in common," Tatsumi pointed out, "is that they are all men between their twenties and forties, and in some sort of relationship with a woman. Most are just dating, but some are married."

During the whole conversation, Hisoka had his head lowered. When Tatsumi was finished speaking, he lifted his head up and asked, "Do you think this is Muraki's doing?"

"It has to be!" Tsuzuki slammed his fist on the table.

Watari shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, we have no evidence of who may have done these things, at least not yet."

"Besides," Chief Konoe folded his arms, "these cases are happening all over Japan, so it can't be the work of one man. Everyone in all sections of the department is working on the case. Tsuzuki, Hisoka, I want you two to cover your division in Nagasaki."

Grim expressions appeared on both their faces. The last time they went to Nagasaki, they had to deal with the possessed vampire, Maria Wong, who was just an unfortunate soul in the first place. She was resurrected and controlled by Muraki, and no one would ever forgive him for doing such a thing, especially Tsuzuki. It was at Nagasaki where Tsuzuki first met the evil doctor, and it was in Nagasaki where Hisoka regained the memories of his rape and murder, both done by Muraki years ago.

However, Nagasaki was in their division, so they had no choice in the matter. Both shinigami nodded solemnly and they were soon dismissed. Their first case was to inspect the bodies themselves, so they wasted no time in going to Nagasaki.

* * *

><p><strong>2:47 p.m., the streets of Nagasaki<strong>

Several corpse investigations later, Tsuzuki was tired.

He and Hisoka had been posing as private detectives in Nagasaki, and they had been at a local morgue all day inspecting the bodies. They looked the same as they did in the photos. Their eyes were yellow with sideways oval-shaped pupils, their skin shriveled and dry like old parchment, and their mouths open like they were still screaming even after death.

Investigating the bodies yielded no additional clues, not even stray hairs from the killer, so Tsuzuki and Hisoka left the morgue in a disheartened mood. Just as they were about to head back to the Ministry, however, they saw that Tatsumi was waiting for them. He said to them, "I can tell from the looks on your faces that you found nothing."

"No." Hisoka shook his head.

"We haven't found much either. Watari is checking some of the bodies for fingerprints, but we will have to wait for the results. Say," Tatsumi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "why don't you head on back, Kurosaki-san? I want a word with Tsuzuki."

Hisoka looked at his partner. Tsuzuki put on a smile and told him, "You go on ahead, Hisoka-kun."

"Make sure you come back, Tsuzuki." Hisoka said before vanishing.

"The kid does worry about you a lot, you know." Tatsumi noted.

"I know." Tsuzuki sighed. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Let's take a walk; I know of a new café that just opened up."

Tsuzuki's eyes lit up with excitement. Was Tatsumi going to treat him to some pastries? As they started to walk, Tsuzuki was already trying to decide what he would get. Now, was he in the mood for cake, pie, éclair, strudel…?

"Tsuzuki," Tatsumi spoke up, "I want to talk to you about what happened last night."

Tsuzuki stopped in his tracks. The memories of his night with Muraki came back to haunt him. Tatsumi stopped next to him and asked, "Did it have anything to do with Muraki?"

Tsuzuki said nothing, but the pained expression on his face told Tatsumi everything he needed to know. Tsuzuki nearly blurted out, "I thought Hisoka was in danger, but he tricked me! I didn't mean-!"

"Calm down," Tatsumi rested a hand on Tsuzuki's shoulder, "I don't want you making a scene."

Tears started to well up in the shinigami's eyes, and he wiped them away with his index finger. He and Tatsumi continued their walk in silence. When they stopped at a crosswalk, Tatsumi said, "I don't like having our workers getting into any danger, and neither does the chief, so we've decided on something. It took a chunk of our budget out, but I believe this will be worth it."

He took something out of his pocket and handed it to Tsuzuki. He stared at the thing in his hand with surprise. It was a simple cellphone with a metallic gray sheen. Tsuzuki tried to find the right words to say, but all he could manage to say was, "Uh…"

"Come on," Tatsumi suddenly said, "the light's green now."

They continued on their way. Tsuzuki finally admitted, "I've never used one of these things before."

"I am aware of that," Tatsumi sighed, "but we are in the 20th Century now. Times change, Tsuzuki, and even the Ministry of Hades has to change with it."

"Do _you_ know how to use a cellphone, Tatsumi?"

"Uh, well…" he lowered his head, "I'm sure it's not that different from a regular phone…"

"Ha!" Tsuzuki pointed a finger at Tatsumi. "You don't know how to use one either!"

Tatsumi gritted his teeth. He muttered, "The chief and I are already looking into the instructions on how to use these things." He lifted his head up and said, "Anyways, we're here."

They stood in front of a colorful looking little building. There was a pink sign near the top of the building that read _The Sheep's Delight_, and it was accompanied by a cute cartoony picture of a sheep. Through the large windows, they could see many little tables and chairs set up. On the left side, there was a counter that displayed many kinds of confectionary delights. Upon setting his eyes on these treats, Tsuzuki's eyes widened and his mouth watered. He ran through the doors like an excited child.

He pressed his hands against the glass that kept him away from the sweets. Through it, he could see strawberry shortcakes, crème-filled éclairs, triple layered triple chocolate cakes, apple pies, scones, strawberry and cantaloupe parfaits, tiramisu, chocolate dipped strawberries and bananas, powdered beignets…it was all too much for his sweet tooth to look at! Out of these treats, there was one that stood out for him.

It was a puffed-up marshmallow with four pretzel sticks sticking out of the bottom. Near the front of the marshmallow were two black dots that looked like they were made of chocolate. To Tsuzuki, it looked like a sheep.

"Err, can I help you, sir?" A deep voice spoke up.

Tsuzuki lifted his head up. Standing behind the counter was a man with short, swept back gray hair, a few wrinkles on his face, and dark sunshades over his eyes. He was dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt, a pair of black pants, and a white apron. The nametag on his apron read "Boss".

"Ah…" Tsuzuki swallowed the extra saliva that had gathered in his mouth.

"Are you eating here," Boss asked, "or is this to go?"

Tsuzuki looked at Tatsumi with puppy dog eyes. Tatsumi said, "You don't need my permission to eat here, however," he turned to Boss, "I would like an éclair to go."

"Chocolate, strawberry, banana crème, or blackberry?" Boss asked patiently.

"Chocolate, please."

Boss walked over to the cash register and hit a few buttons. He said, "That will be 500Y.*"

Tatsumi handed him a bill and told him, "Keep the change."

"Most generous of you, sir." Boss opened the back window to the pastries and pulled out an éclair with a pair of metal tongs. He placed the treat on a napkin and handed it to Tatsumi. Tatsumi looked at Tsuzuki and asked, "I assume you have enough money to treat yourself?"

"Mm-hm!" Tsuzuki nodded.

"I'll leave you to your desserts then. Oh, and Tsuzuki?" Tatsumi leaned in close to Tsuzuki and whispered in his ear, "If _he_ comes, just get out of here, no matter what he says."

"I know." Tsuzuki's mood became solemn again.

"Okay." Tatsumi turned to leave. "See you back at work then, and don't you dare lose that cellphone."

Tsuzuki watched his superior leave the café. He turned back to Boss and said, "I'll eat here."

"Sit anywhere you like," Boss waved his arm towards the direction of the tables and chairs, "someone will be with you shortly."

Tsuzuki decided to sit at a table where he could have his back to the wall, just in case anyone tried to sneak up on him. He walked up to a table next to the opposite wall and he sat in a chair, his back to the wall. He saw that every table came with a small vase with red mums in them as centerpieces. In front of him was a menu with a cutesy picture of a sheep on it. He picked it up and looked it over.

There were more desserts available than he had originally imagined. There were all kinds of cakes, pies, and much, much more. In addition to several kinds of coffee available, there were also many kinds of hot tea. Tsuzuki never had such a hard time picking out something before.

"You ready to order?" A chipper voice asked.

Tsuzuki lowered the menu and gaped at who he saw.

Standing in front of him was a young woman wearing a white shirt and skirt with a pink apron. She had blond hair with two curly pigtails and dark blue eyes that seemed to sparkle. Her skin looked soft, as did her youthful smile. The nametag on her shirt read "Catherine".

Tsuzuki felt his face burn up. He forced himself to look back down at the menu and he mumbled, "I, uh…ummm…"

"Sorry?" Catherine asked.

Tsuzuki came up with a quick answer and said, "Raspberry tea with a slice of cheesecake, please."

"Coming right up!" Catherine walked away and went through a pair of double doors that were next to the counter.

Tsuzuki gulped. This girl was super-cute, no, she was more than that. From her looks to the way she walked, she looked divine, she looked outstanding, she looked…perfect. Tsuzuki looked around to make sure no one else was looking at him, but now that he noticed, there was no one else present, save for Boss, who was looking out the window at the passing pedestrians. If this café was new, then why aren't there any other people?

"Here you go!"

Tsuzuki turned back around and saw that Catherine had returned with a silver platter sitting on her hand. On it was a small white plate with a slice of cheesecake and a white cup and saucer with a picture of a sheep on the side. Catherine set the plate in front of Tsuzuki, then a fork, and finally, the cup and saucer. She also took out a slip of paper and slipped it underneath the plate. Tucking the platter under her arm, she gave another sweet smile and said, "I hope you enjoy it."

She turned to leave, but then stopped short. She looked at Tsuzuki right in his eyes and she asked, "Are those real?"

"Huh?" Tsuzuki had already picked up his fork and was about to take his first bite when Catherine asked him that question.

"Your eyes; are they really purple?"

Tsuzuki lowered his head. He never like his eyes, and anyone who bothered to point them out always made fun of him. When he saw Muraki in Kyoto, he made the bold, but possibly true statement that Tsuzuki's eyes were not human. The bitter memories came back and the shinigami tightened his grip on his fork. He said in a low voice, "They're hideous, aren't they?"

"No, I think they're pretty cool." Catherine answered.

Tsuzuki lifted his head up to look at the waitress. He had never received a compliment about his eyes before (save for Muraki, but Tsuzuki hated him, so he didn't count). He now fiddled with his fork and asked, "Do you really think so?"

"Why would I lie?" Catherine leaned in close to Tsuzuki.

He felt himself blush again. Why was she getting so close to him? Their faces were so close to each other, their noses almost touched. Tsuzuki tried to say something, but it only came out as, "Ah…uhhh, C-ca-."

"You're not wearing colored contacts." Catherine drew her head back. Her eyes sparkled as she marveled, "Wow, purple eyes, and they're real. You're so lucky!"

"Lucky?" Tsuzuki could not really believe what he was hearing.

"Yeah, purple's my favorite color, and it looks so good on you!"

"Uh, um…" Tsuzuki felt embarrassed.

"Oh!" Catherine suddenly exclaimed. "I gotta get back to work! Enjoy your cake!" She trotted away through the double doors.

Tsuzuki stared at the doors for a long minute. He looked into his tea cup and saw the reflection of his purple eyes looking back at him. They looked hideous to him, yet that one girl said that they were cool. He smiled to himself. That girl was something else.

He took a sip of the Raspberry tea, and he found it to be very refreshing. He nibbled on the cheesecake, savoring every bite. His eyes widened. This was the best cheesecake he had ever eaten, and somehow, the tea complimented its flavor. He quickly finished the cake down to the last crumb, and at the plate's bottom, he could see yet another picture of a cartoony sheep. He gulped the last of the tea down and he stood up. He picked up the slip of paper, which was the bill, and he took up to the counter.

He handed the bill to Boss, who glanced over it. He punched a few buttons on the cash register and he said, "750Y."

Tsuzuki fished out a 1000Y bill and handed it over. Boss put the bill in the register, pushed a few more buttons, and dug through the register drawer for change. While he was doing this, Tsuzuki couldn't help but ask, "This place is new, so why aren't there any other customers?"

When Boss handed the change to Tsuzuki, he said, "I guess we just picked a bad time to open our store, plus there are other cafés out here in Nagasaki."

"But I've been to all those other cafes, and their sweets aren't as good as this one's!"

"How nice of you to say that." Boss smiled. He scratched his chin and said out of the blue, "I think Catherine-chan really likes you."

"Huh?" Tsuzuki stared at Boss.

Boss gave a small chuckle and said, "I've seen that spark in women many times before; there's no mistaking it. If I dare say so, sir, I think you feel the same way about her."

"Uh…" Tsuzuki lowered his head in embarrassment. Why was he acting like such a fool _now_?

"'True love is a durable fire, in the mind, ever burning.'…to quote a certain work of a certain someone.*"

"Yeah, well…I gotta go back to work!" Tsuzuki blurted out.

As he left the café, Boss called back, "Come back soon!"

* * *

><p><strong>9:50 p.m., Ministry of Hades, Apartment room 102<strong>

Not much else happened for the rest of the day. Tsuzuki was back in his apartment and he was already brushing his teeth. When he was done, he looked closely at his reflection, at his eyes.

When he was a boy, he was constantly bullied because his eyes were different. The neighborhood kids always threw rocks and sticks at him and called him names. They say that sticks and stones break bones, but words never hurt, but in Tsuzuki's case, they were all equally painful.

_"Freak!"_

_"Monster!"_

_"Demon!"_

Even Muraki had said that his eyes weren't human. Tsuzuki had always thought of himself as a monster, yet the only ones who made him feel human were Hisoka and the others at the Ministry. Today, he had met the one person who said nothing bad about his eyes: Catherine.

_"I think they're pretty cool." _She had said.

_"Wow, purple eyes, and they're real. You're so lucky!"_

"Cool, huh?" Tsuzuki muttered to himself. He could not get his mind off of her. Was it love? When he was alive, he had never dated anyone, just because he believed that everyone hated him. When he was with Muraki last night, he felt…lust, for him, but it may have been because he had been drugged. With Catherine, however, he felt actual love, like the kind one would find in poems.

Tsuzuki switched off the lights and went to his futon. He crawled under the covers and rested his head on his pillow. Maybe tomorrow, when he had time, he would try to see her again.

* * *

><p><strong>10:39 p.m., Kyoto, the back room of the <strong>_**Kokakuro**_

"So, what's on your mind?" Oriya asked.

"Why are you so concerned, Oriya?" Muraki questioned back.

"You're drinking your third cup of sake."

Muraki and Oriya had been close friends for many years. With Oriya running a restaurant/brothel and Muraki working at a nearby hospital in Kyoto, they sometimes visited each other. Muraki looked at his cup of sake and sighed. There was no use fooling his old friend. He admitted, "Today is my last vacation day."

"That is a bummer," Oriya took out his pipe and lit it, "but I'm sure everyone back at the hospital is looking forward to seeing you again."

Muraki said nothing, but looked through the open door that led outside. He could hear the crickets chirping and the frogs singing, and he sighed again. Yes, he was sad about having his vacation being over so soon, but he was also thinking about the man he loved.

One month ago, Muraki killed several women for their hair in order to work on a genetic experiment. He killed them not only for the experiment, but also to attract the attention of Tsuzuki. His plan worked, and the shinigami was forced to spend some time with him. All the while, Muraki looked into his past and found out several things about Tsuzuki. For one thing, when he was alive many years ago, he could survive without eating, drinking and sleeping, which made him a fine subject for Muraki's grandfather to study. However, all of that ended when Tsuzuki killed himself in a state of depression.

Muraki picked up on his grandfather's research, and he found out something about Tsuzuki: that his DNA did not suggest that he was human. He relayed this information to the shinigami, which was part of his plan to break him. When he finally did break, he took him away to an underground laboratory and decided to try a new experiment (another story altogether).

Just before he began, Muraki took some of Tsuzuki's blood and ingested it. In addition to his strange constitution, he could also sense the presence of others just by drinking some of their blood. Muraki did this just in case something happened that caused Tsuzuki to escape from his clutches, and his hunch was right. Tsuzuki summoned the shikigami, Touda, in an attempt to destroy them both. Muraki genuinely thought he was going to die, but a white light came and whisked him away, dropping him in the backyard of the _Kokakuro_.

_"Please live…" _An angelic voice whispered to him at the time.

He could not believe it. The voice belonged to his sick fiancée, Ukyo. She was on the other side of Japan at a hospital being treated by an unknown illness, so how did she know he was in danger, and how was she able to save him? He called her one time to ask, but she only answered cryptically, "I just knew what to do."

Now, Muraki was trying to settle back into his "normal" life. However, because he had ingested Tsuzuki's blood, he could always sense where he was, and it drove him crazy. He eventually took a few days off for vacation time, just so that he could find his love again. He knew Tsuzuki was in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture for some reason (most likely work-related), so he decided to go there. Sure enough, he found him and he pulled off a clever plan for him to be at his side without doing much work.

Since today was his last day of vacation, Muraki was forced to go back to Kyoto, and he was not all that happy about it. He wished he could take another vacation break just so that he could be with his love again, but alas, a doctor could not be away from his work all the time. To wash away his depression, he decided to visit Oriya, and have a few drinks while he was there.

"You aren't thinking about that guy, are you?" Oriya asked.

"Hm?" Muraki was snapped out of his thoughts.

"You are, aren't you?" Oriya blew out a puff of smoke. "Does Ukyo even know what you've been doing recently?"

"I can't worry her in the condition she's in." Muraki gulped down the last of the sake and poured himself another cup. If she knew of all the terrible crimes he had committed, she would never forgive him.

"You're really something, you know that?" Oriya stood up. "Don't drink too much." He walked outside and slid the door shut behind him.

Muraki sighed again and rubbed his forehead. No matter how much he tried, he could not get Tsuzuki off his mind. Muraki told him that he loved him, yet when he thought about it, it was more of a lust than a love for the shinigami. He heard a nearby door slide open and he turned his head to see who it was.

He had expected the person to be a maid of Oriya's, coming to bring more sake, but it was not. Standing in the doorway was a familiar looking figure. The person wore a black outfit, had short black hair, and brilliant purple eyes. The figure walked up to Muraki and, without warning, embraced him in a tight hug.

Muraki blinked. His vision was blurry from the sake, but that hair, those eyes, it couldn't be-? He hugged back and kissed the person passionately on the lips.

* * *

><p><strong>Romance! …Bleh… Next time, another nightmare comes to haunt poor Tsuzuki. I plan to order my chapters like this: daytime, night(mare)time, daytime, night(mare)time, etc. If you are familiar with the game mechanics from <strong>_**Catherine**_**, then you will know that the daytime has the romantic and dramatic parts while the nighttime is reserved for the block-climbing nightmares.**

***= "Y" is my abbreviation for Yen (or "En", as my old sensei would say), which is the currency in Japan. I have almost no knowledge on how things are priced in Japan, so I am taking a wild guesstimate on what the cost of the pastries and drinks are. If anyone is well-versed in pastry pricing in Japan, please, **_**please**_** let me know! The first person to help me with this will be given credit in the fanfiction.**

***= In **_**Catherine**_**, Boss makes many quotes on women and love, but he never cites them. In this story, I will cite the quotes he makes. The quote on true love is by Sir Walter Raleigh, from **_**As Ye Came from the Holy Land**_**.**

**As I've said before, I'm not into romance that much, but some authors try out different genres. Post a review and let me know how I'm doing.**


	3. Stage 2

**I do not own **_**Yami no Matsuei**_** or **_**Catherine**_**, simple as that.**

**This chapter contains disturbing sexual imagery.**

* * *

><p><strong>Stage 2: The Prison of Despair<strong>

Once more, Tsuzuki found himself in darkness. Magenta light poured in and he turned to the source of the light. Once more, there was an open door, along with sheep present. Everyone was groaning about how they were here again, and Tsuzuki was among the complainers.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" The child's voice rang out. "The Prison of Despair awaits."

Once more, Tsuzuki found himself walking through the door with the other sheep. When he passed through the door, he found himself standing on another block. He looked around and found that he was once again near the bottom of a tower of blocks. He asked himself, "Why am I here _again_?"

The rows below him started to fall, and he immediately started his ascension up. As he climbed, he noticed that the background was different. Instead of tombstones, there were cages stacked on top of each other, with almost all of them filled with sheep crying for help. At one point he came to a dead end at the top of one block. If he pulled it out, then he would fall back down to the previous block with no means of continuing up.

"I see you're back!" A familiar voice called from up above.

Tsuzuki lifted his head up and he saw a white speck standing several rows above him. He recognized the voice as the sheep from last time. Tsuzuki called back, "I can't go any further!"

"You can climb around the edges of the blocks." The voice answered. "I see a spot you can move to, just hang off the edge of the block you're on and move to your right."

Tsuzuki was not so sure about this. Then again, the sheep _did_ help him last time. He peered over the edge and gulped. He crouched, turned around, and cautiously moved back. His hands caught the edge of the block and he found that his feet were touching nothing below him. He gulped once more and he shimmied over to the right. He moved past the block that originally blocked his way and he came to a space that he could climb up on. He pulled himself up and he saw a block stairway where he could continue.

"Hey, thanks!" Tsuzuki called up to the sheep.

However, the white speck could no longer be seen. Tsuzuki figured that he must have already moved on. He knew that he should do the same, so he continued his trek up.

Pretty soon, he could hear the church bells ringing. He knew that once he reached the top, he would arrive at the door that would take him away from this place. When he did get to the top block, however, he did not find a red door, but a gold chain with a ring at its end hanging from the ceiling.

Having no other choice, Tsuzuki jumped up and grabbed the ring at the end of the chain. It lowered and a block stairway appeared in front of him. Tsuzuki climbed around twelve blocks until he reached land that wasn't made out of blocks.

He had reached a large, flat stone slab. In the back was a little confessional with a stone structure above it that housed the ringing church bells. Lined in front of the booth were several pews. There were six sheep present, either sitting in the pews or huddled in a corner somewhere.

"Glad to see that you're still alive." A familiar voice spoke up.

A sheep stood up from the back pew and approached Tsuzuki. Unlike the other sheep, he wore a red baseball cap on his head. Tsuzuki recognized his voice as the sheep that helped him out earlier. He said to him, "Hey, you're the sheep that helped me out! Thanks for the help back there."

"No problem," the sheep gave a single nod, "but I'm a person, not a sheep."

Tsuzuki was puzzled. He noted, "You look like a sheep to me."

"Yeah, well, so do you." The sheep folded his arms. "The only way I'm able to tell you apart from the others is that you have purple eyes instead of red, well, aside from your voice, anyways."

Trying to ignore the statement about his eyes, Tsuzuki asked, "So, where are we?"

"Hell if I know, buddy. As for right now, some of the sheep have been calling these spaces between the block towers 'landings'. I guess you can call it a break spot before the next tower."

"Next tower? When am I going to get out of this place?"

"Reach the door at the top, that's all I know, but even if we do reach the door, we're just going to come back here the next night, and the one after that, and so on."

"So…there's no way out of this?" Tsuzuki lowered his head. Was he really going to climb block towers for the rest of his night life?

"I don't know," the sheep sighed, "but if you want to live, you have to climb. If you want to quit, then you might as well jump off this landing."

"Hey! I said I wasn't going to quit!"

"Good for you, then. As for me, I have to keep going. I don't know how much longer this landing is going to be around."

Before Tsuzuki could say anything, the sheep ran off and entered the confessional. A minute passed, then the booth suddenly shot up into the air like a rocket. A minute after that, it slowly descended back to its original position. Tsuzuki looked at the other sheep. Should he bother talking to them?

"Gah!" A voice spoke up from behind him. "Damn blocks…"

Tsuzuki turned around and saw that another sheep had just climbed the stairs that led to the landing. He was on his hands and knees, almost out of breath. Tsuzuki felt a little sorry for the sheep, so he offered a hand forward and asked, "Are you okay?"

The sheep slapped the hand away and got up on his own. He said, "I don't need pity from a sheep." He lifted his head up. To Tsuzuki's surprise, the sheep's right eye was missing. Annoyed at his stare, the sheep asked, "Is there something on my face?"

"Uh, no." Tsuzuki stepped aside, and the sheep walked past him.

The sheep sat in one of the pews and sighed loudly. Another sheep walked up to him and asked what was wrong, but the one-eyed sheep only dismissed him. The other sheep present saw this and they all kept their distance from this hostile sheep. Tsuzuki walked up to the booth, not knowing where else to go. Just as he was about to step inside, though, he overheard a nearby conversation taking place.

"So you pull out these blocks," one voice said, "and you have the 'pyramid'."

"Clever," another awed, "but how about this one?"

"So you pull that block, then pull _that_ one, then the _first_ one again?"

Tsuzuki turned his head and saw that in the back corner, to the right of the pew, was a chalkboard. Two sheep stood before it, drawing many squares and cubes on the board with pieces of chalk. Wondering what they were talking about, he walked up to them and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Strategizing." The sheep on the right said.

"We're sharing block climbing techniques." The sheep on the left said.

"Techniques?" Tsuzuki inquired.

"Yeah," said the right sheep, "we're also formulating new methods along the way."

Tsuzuki stared at the board full of four-edged doodles. There were arrows pointing to different spaces and other squares. He felt his head spin just from looking at it. He confessed, "This looks confusing."

"It may be at first glance," the left sheep said, "but once you get it down, it will be easier to climb those blocks."

"Can you teach me something?"

"Sure, watch closely."

Tsuzuki watched as the sheep started pointing out certain blocks with the chalk in his hand. He explained that by pulling out certain blocks, a stable stairway could be created. Since the stairway formed some form of triangle, the technique was called the "pyramid".

"Wow," Tsuzuki was glad that he could understand the technique, "I get it."

"And I just thought of this one." The sheep on the right got to work on the chalkboard. By pulling out a block, climbing on top of it, pulling the next block out, and then dropping back down to pull the bottom block to the side, one could create a stairway without having to pull so many blocks out. This technique was dubbed the "slider".

"Wait a minute," Tsuzuki pointed at the top block that was suspended in the air, "why doesn't this one fall down?"

"As long as these two edges connect," the right sheep pointed out, "the top block won't fall."

"That's crazy!"

"I know, but apparently, that's how this place works."

"Well, thanks anyways."

"Sure, let's all try to make it out alive."

Tsuzuki left the two sheep and went back to the confession booth. On one side, there was a human silhouette sitting behind frosted yellow glass. The other side had a back bench and an open doorway. He stepped through the door and it slid shut behind him. Now knowing what else to do, he sat on the bench.

"Ah," the child's voice spoke from the other side of the booth, "looks like we have a new lamb here."

"Huh?" Tsuzuki saw that there was a small window with grating over it on the wall between the two sides of the booth. He peered inside, but he saw no one on the other side. He asked, "Who are you?"

"Sorry, but I'll be the one asking the questions here." The voice said curtly. "You're going to die like the others anyway, but I would like to know more about you first.

"So, tell me: is marriage the point where life begins, or ends?"

Before Tsuzuki could say anything, two chains dropped down from the ceiling. He cried out in surprise and backed himself against the wall. Wrapped around both chains were two slips of paper, one reading "it begins", and the other reading "it ends". Tsuzuki asked, "Why the random question?"

"Just answer it already." The voice sounded like it was getting impatient.

_So_, Tsuzuki thought to himself, _is marriage the point where life begins, or ends? _The topic of marriage had never crossed his mind before. One time, he had a nightmare where Muraki had proposed to him, but if that happened in real life, then he would say that it was the point where life ends. On the other hand, if he found the right person, then that would be the point where life begins. He grabbed the "it begins" chain and pulled down on it. The two chains rose back up into the ceiling.

"Ah, I see," the voice said, "so that's your answer."

"What was the point of that question?" Tsuzuki demanded.

"As I've said, I just want to know you more before you die."

"But I can't die; I'm a shinigami!"

"Oh ho, but there are ways that even death may die, but enough on that; I'll go ahead and send you to the next floor."

The whole booth shook violently and the next thing he knew, Tsuzuki felt like he was ascending straight up into the air at an unbelievable speed.

* * *

><p>Since his college days, Muraki had always been fascinated with the Christian religion, but as he of right now, he was not in the mood for foreign admiring as he entered the confessional. The door behind him slid itself shut and he sat down on the bench. He expected the stern voice of a priest to greet him, but instead, he heard a child's voice.<p>

"It never ceases to amaze me to see so many new lambs enter this confessional."

Muraki was not in a good mood. Around ten minutes ago, he was in the company of someone who looked almost exactly like Tsuzuki. The next thing he knew, he was climbing block towers in his gray boxers. After laborious climbing and seeing so many sheep, he figured that he drank too much sake that night. However, all of this felt too real for it to be a dream, so he asked, "Kid, just tell me what the hell is going on here."

"Well, aren't we the demanding one?" The kid seemed to mock him. "Sorry, but I'll be asking the questions around here, starting with this one.

"Is marriage the point where life begins, or ends?"

Two chains dropped down from the ceiling. They both had white slips of paper wrapped around them, one reading "it begins", and the other reading "it ends". Temper rising, Muraki snapped, "I don't have time to play your games, kid."

"Oh, so you see this as a game, do you? Just answer the question already."

In Muraki's busy life, marriage was on the back of his mind. Yes, he did propose to Ukyo months ago, but that was before he met Tsuzuki. Due to her illness, however, they were forced to cancel the wedding plans until, and if, she got better. Muraki remembered his engagement with his fiancée, but as much as he treasured and adored her, he just couldn't push Tsuzuki out of his mind.

Now, was marriage the point where life begins, or ends? Muraki figured that it would only begin if it was with the right person. He grabbed the "it begins" chain and yanked it down. Both chains rose back up into the ceiling.

"Hm," the voice pondered, "I didn't think you would pick _that_."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Muraki asked.

"Oh, nothing. I'll send you on up."

The section of the booth shook and Muraki felt like he was going up at a very fast rate. The booth then came to an abrupt stop and the door slid open. Muraki cautiously stepped out and saw that he was standing on another block. He looked up and saw another tower that he had to climb. From behind him, the booth dropped back down.

"More blocks?" Muraki gave an irritated sigh. "I better wake up soon."

So the doctor began his climb. Halfway up, or where he assumed the halfway point would be, he came across a sheep with purple eyes pulling out some blocks. After the sheep scaled them, he turned around, looked down, and saw Muraki. The sheep said, "You're the second sheep I've seen on this tower."

"Really," Muraki folded his arms, "well, you're the first I've seen here. I assume the other sheep went on ahead of you?"

"Yeah. Hey, it looks like you have company coming. I have to keep moving." With that said, the sheep continued his climb.

Muraki looked down and saw two sheep below him climbing their way up. He faced the front wall and climbed the blocks that the other sheep had pulled out. Above him, he could finally hear the church bells ringing. As he was about to pull another block to climb on top of, however, someone suddenly shoved him over the edge.

As he fell, he managed to grab onto a ledge from one of the lower blocks. He didn't dare look down at the collapsing blocks below him, so he pulled himself up. He looked up and saw a sheep wearing a blue jacket continuing his climb. Muraki gritted his teeth. How dare that sheep push him over the edge! He ran over to the pulled out blocks and climbed them again. He moved faster this time, wanting to get his revenge on that sheep.

Fortunately for him, the sheep had stopped on a block to ponder his next move. Muraki ran up to him and, without hesitation, shoved him off the edge. The sheep screamed as he fell, but he managed to grab onto a ledge and pull himself up. He looked back up at Muraki, shook a fist at him, and screamed, "You bastard!"

"I could say the same about you." Muraki snapped before he pulled out a block and resumed his climb.

Finally, he reached the top block. He grabbed the chain and pulled it down. Several blocks dropped down to form a stairway and he made his way up to the landing.

The landing looked exactly like the last one, save for the sheep, though some of them were in different places this time around. There were sheep who were sitting in the pews, three which stood in front of the chalkboard, and a few simply standing around. Without warning, one of the standing sheep collapsed onto his back. Some of the nearby sheep took notice of this and ran to his side, with one crying out, "Sheep down! Sheep down!"

His doctor's instincts took over and Muraki walked up to the fallen sheep, saying to the others, "Stand back, I'm a doctor."

He knelt by the sheep's side and looked him over. He was conscious, but judging by his breathing and the look in his eyes, he was exhausted. Muraki said to him, "It looks like you've overexerted yourself. I suggest you get some rest."

"I can't," the sheep wheezed, "the landing won't last forever. I…I have to keep climbing."

"It's true." Another sheep pointed out. "We don't know how long this landing is going to last."

"You bastard!" A familiar voice shouted.

Muraki and the other sheep turned their heads to see a sheep just arriving at the landing. It was hard not to recognize the sheep in the blue jacket. He shook his fist at Muraki again and shouted, "You pushed me off the ledge!"

"As I recall," Muraki replied coldly, "you shoved me off first."

"Yeah, but you're just a sheep!"

"We're all sheep here." A sheep from the crowd pointed out.

"You may be, but I'm not!"

An argument between the one sheep and the crowd broke out. Muraki made sure that there was nothing else wrong with the fallen sheep before he snuck out of the crowd. He made his way into the confessional and sat on the bench.

"You know," the child's voice said, "you really shouldn't worry about the other sheep."

"It's in the nature of a doctor to help those in need." Muraki automatically responded.

"'First, do no harm', right? Yet you kill people for your own sick purposes." The voice chuckled.

"How did-?" Muraki tried to ask.

"That aside, though, I have another question for you.

"Which is a better life for you: long and dull, or short and full?"

The two chains with slips of paper wrapped around them dropped down again. One read "long and dull" and the other read "short and full". This was an easy question for Muraki to answer. He would rather have all the pleasure of life in a short time rather than live an unfulfilling, long life. Of course, if he could help it, he would live a long life full of all the things he wanted in life. He grabbed the "short and full" chain and yanked it down. The two chains rose back up into the ceiling.

"Figures you would say that." The voice said.

"It's almost like you know my life." Muraki said suspiciously.

"How observant of you. I know you are already fed up with the Great Trials, but I have some good and bad news for you. The good news is: you only have one more level to complete for tonight. The bad news: you will have to face something…unpleasant along the way."

"There's always a catch…fine, just send me up already."

The booth shook and ascended to the last level.

* * *

><p>Tsuzuki saw the fight that broke out between the sheep, yet he chose to stay out of it. He was with two different sheep at the chalkboard, trying to come up with more techniques at the time, when the fight started. Unable to concentrate with the commotion, he went to the confessional when the booth came back down. He entered the booth and sat down.<p>

"You seem stressed." The voice noted.

"Of course I am," Tsuzuki lowered his head, "I'm climbing these stupid towers and I have to deal with sheep yelling at each other. Look, when can I get out of here?"

"I'll answer you when you answer my question.

"Which makes you more nervous: being alone, or being with others?"

Two chains with slips of paper wrapped around them dropped down from the ceiling. One read "being alone" and the other read "being with others". This was a tough one for Tsuzuki. He liked being near his friends, yet when he was younger, he found solace in being alone, away from the bullies who picked on him. Then again, these days, it was when he was alone that Muraki usually found him. He grabbed the "being alone" chain and yanked it down. The chains once more rose back up into the ceiling.

"Ah, I see." The voice did not sound surprised. "Well, to answer your question, you only have once more level to complete for tonight, but I must warn you, it's not going to be pleasant."

"What does that mean?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I mean that you will have to deal with your nightmares."

The booth shook and it ascended to the last level. When it stopped, Tsuzuki cautiously stepped out. Once more, he was near the bottom of another block tower. This time, however, there was a sinister air to this level. Tsuzuki felt like he was being watched. He looked down and he thought he saw something move in the dark abyss.

**"Freak!"**

**"Monster!"**

**"Demon!"**

Several long, giant arms rose out of the abyss, either with rocks or sticks in their hands. Tsuzuki yelped and he backed himself against the nearest wall. Those voices were all too familiar to him. He had heard those voices and those insults many times before in his childhood. Was this the "nightmare" that the child's voice had mentioned?

Somewhere, Tsuzuki thought he heard a woman's voice say, "The Arms of Loathing have appeared. It's the killer. Do not die."

Tsuzuki decided that it would be best to take the voice's advice. He pulled out a block and began his climb. As he climbed, the arms slowly rose higher. He figured that the arms would kill him if they caught up to him, so he picked up the pace.

**"Why are your eyes like that, huh?"**

One of the arms leaned back and then lurched forward, throwing the rock that it held in its hand. It nearly hit Tsuzuki and he gave a yelp of surprise when the rock destroyed the block that was next to him. In his panicked state, he pulled out more blocks and scrambled up them like a cockroach. Another arm raised itself and tried to smack Tsuzuki with the stick in its hand. Fortunately, he was able to climb up a few blocks before it could hit him.

"What do you want?" He screamed at the arms.

**"Those are demon eyes!"**

Several more arms leaned back to throw the rocks in their hands. Tsuzuki quickly figured that they weren't going to listen to him. He managed to dodge the rocks as he ascended, and he soon heard the church bells ringing. Finally, he reached the top and to his joy, there was a red door instead of a chain hanging down. He opened the door and the comforting white light poured in.

"Finally!" Tsuzuki gave a sigh of relief.

**"You monster!"**

**Go back to hell, you demon!"**

To Tsuzuki's horror, the arms rose up until they were at eye level. Just as they reached for him, however, the light shone brighter and it engulfed the arms. The arms screamed in agony and they vanished in the light.

"Whoa," Tsuzuki put a hand over his beating heart, "that was close."

He walked through the door and closed it behind him.

* * *

><p>Muraki hoped that the voice was telling the truth about this level being the last. He was near the bottom of the tower, yet he felt like something was different. As if by instinct, he looked down and he saw something move in the abyss below him.<p>

**"Come here, you…"**

Muraki could not believe what he saw rising out of the bottom of the abyss. It looked like a nude woman with short black hair, but she had no facial features on her face, almost like she had the face of a mannequin. Instead of breasts, she had giant eyeballs with purple irises on her chest, and they were focused on Muraki. All he said to himself was, "Too much sake…"

He thought he heard a woman's voice say, "The Beauty has appeared. It's the killer. Do not die."

"Like hell I'm dying." Muraki began his climb.

Below him, the woman tried to crawl up the tower, occasionally fumbling. Muraki did not dare look back down. Instead, he focused on pulling blocks out and climbing them.

**"Don't leave me! I want **_**more**_**!"**

For some reason, all the blocks on Muraki's left side started to flash red. He moved away from them, just as the woman's eyes widened and fired purple lasers at the blocks. He gave a yelp of surprise when the blocks vanished. As he looked for another way up, he said to himself, "Okay, this is just getting ridiculous now."

He heard the church bells ringing and he moved faster. The blocks to his right started to flash red and he moved away from them. As he watched the lasers destroy them, he pulled out another block and continued to move up.

At last he reached the top block. Waiting for him was a closed red door instead of a chain. He opened it and white light poured out. Just as he was about to enter, however, the woman suddenly scurried up the tower and met him face to face.

**"Give me more! Give me **_**more**_**!"**

The woman drew close to Muraki, her giant eyes dangerously close to his body. The light suddenly flashed and the woman was blown backwards. She lost her grip on the tower, but she vanished in the light before she fell off of it. Her painful screams echoed in the whole area.

"Never in my dreams…" Muraki muttered as he went through the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage 2 is done! Next time, Tsuzuki interviews the dead, and Muraki gets a surprise when he wakes up.<strong>

**These chapters are long, so obviously, it's going to take longer than usual to post them. There aren't that many crossovers with **_**Catherine**_**, so I doubt this story is going to get much publicity. Whether you're enjoying this story or not, thank you for taking the time to notice and read it.**


	4. Day 2

**Disclaimer: …do I really need to say it?**

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><p><strong>Day 2, 6:23 a.m., Ministry of Hades, Apartment room 102<strong>

Tsuzuki's eyes snapped open. He sat up and, when he put a hand to his forehead, he found that he was sweating. He knew he had a nightmare, but he couldn't remember it. All he could recollect was the feeling of fear and dread. After looking at the clock, he got up, got dressed, and went to the small kitchen to make a quick breakfast.

After all, Tatsumi was not one to wait on late workers.

* * *

><p><strong>6:55 a.m., Kyoto, Muraki's private suite<strong>

Muraki woke up with a headache. He looked around and saw that he was at his private suite. _How did I get here_, he thought to himself. The last thing he remembered was seeing a woman at the-.

Woman?

He heard someone moan and he looked at his bed. To his shock, there was a nude woman sleeping next to him. If it weren't for her feminine features, then Muraki would have mistaken her for Tsuzuki. His eyes widened as he now remembered what had happened last night.

This woman had approached him and started hugging and kissing him without warning. In his drunken state, Muraki had mistaken her for Tsuzuki, and he loved on her back. He remembered taking her with him back to his suite. From there, they took off their clothes and…

Muraki cursed himself for bringing a prostitute home, and for mistaking her for Tsuzuki to boot. The woman opened her eyes, which were purple like amethysts, and she smiled at him. She said sweetly, "Morning, love."

Muraki tried to move out of bed, but the woman grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He said, "Look, whatever happened last night, I didn't mean for it to happen; I was drunk."

"I know that," the woman's smile stretched, "but I've heard that one's true self can only be exposed by alcohol…and sex. You were enjoying yourself last night, but," she frowned, "you kept calling me 'Tsuzuki'."

"Yes, well…" Muraki lowered his head.

"I told you last night, my name is Tsuki."

"Tsu…ki?" It did not help that her name sounded similar to "Tsuzuki".

"Yes…" Tsuki wrapped her arms around Muraki and drew herself up close to him.

Muraki shoved her off and, looking at the clock, said, "You need to leave, and I'm already late for work."

"Oh, you have work?" Tsuki scrambled off the bed and started to put her clothes back on. "That reminds me, I also have work to do."

"On other men, I suppose." Muraki said sarcastically as he also put his clothes back on.

"No," Tsuki rolled her eyes, "I have interests outside of you, you know."

Those words sounded familiar to him. He remembered that he had said those very same words to Tsuzuki at one point. He asked Tsuki, "I thought you were a slut."

As she was about to exit through the bedroom door, she turned around and said, "I was, until I met you, now you're my new boyfriend." She smiled and gave a wink.

Before he could protest, she ran off. He could hear the front door open and close, signaling that she had left. Muraki put a hand on his forehead. The headache was excruciating, so he stood up and went to the bathroom. He washed his face and took some medicine from the medicine cabinet.

He stared at himself in the mirror, wondering just how the hell he was going to do about this situation.

* * *

><p><strong>7:01 a.m., The Ministry of Hades, Interview Room 22<strong>

Tsuzuki entered the interview room. In it, there was a small metal table and two metal folding chairs. Sitting in one of them was a man with short, brown hair and dark blue eyes. He wore khaki pants, a white shirt, and a blue jacket. This guy was one of the recent victims of the mysterious deaths. Apparently, he fell asleep in his clothes on the couch after getting drunk at a friend's place.

"So," Tsuzuki sat down in the remaining chair, "do you have any idea why you died?"

"Ugh," the man put a hand over his forehead, "did I drink too much?"

"No. Have you heard about the mysterious deaths on the news, uh…" Tsuzuki had a clipboard in his hand, which he now looked over. Once he found the name of the person, he finished, "Nakamura Bunpei?"

"_Those_ deaths?" Bunpei lowered his hand and his eyes widened. "Did I die that way? Oh shit…am I in Hell?"

"I guess you can call this purgatory. We're investigating these deaths, and we have yet to find anything about them. Tell me, what was the last thing you remembered before you fell asleep?"

Bunpei took a deep breath before saying, "I…was drinking with this hot girl at her place. We were about to make out when I passed out. I think…I had a nightmare, but I can't remember."

Tsuzuki lowered his head. So far, he was not getting anywhere. He asked, "So, you didn't do anything different?"

"Uh," a guilty look appeared on Bunpei's face, "actually, I just started hanging out with that girl…and Naomi doesn't know that."

"Naomi?"

"My girlfriend. I know, go ahead and say it: I'm filth."

"Well," Tsuzuki asked another question, "what about enemies? Can you think of anyone who would want you dead?"

"No, but if Naomi found out, _she_ would kill me."

"And what about that girl? Do you know who she is?"

"Nana; her name is Nana."

Tsuzuki tried to piece these pieces together in his mind, but he could not find anything. He may be an investigator, but he wasn't an expert detective like the Gushoshin brothers. He hoped that the others at the bureau found out more information than he did. He thanked Bunpei for the information and he left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>7:30 a.m., The Ministry of Hades, Conference Room 1A<strong>

Tsuzuki, Hisoka, Tatsumi, Watari, and Chief Konoe had gathered in the conference room to discuss their findings on the interviews with the victims, as well as the findings of the others in the bureau. They shared what they had found out, and Tatsumi was the first to find a connection.

"From our first findings," he began, "we know that all the victims are male and in some form of relationship. Judging from the information from these interviews, I now notice another similarity that the victims share: they have all cheated with another woman."

"Cheaters, hm?" Watari lowered his head. "Are these deaths supposed to be some form of revenge, then?"

"Could be, but there is no one individual who is suffering. The ones who would most likely want revenge are the women who have been cheated on, but almost none of them know about these affairs. Even so, these women seem to have nothing else in common."

An idea crossed Hisoka's mind and he spoke up, "What about the women they cheated with? Do _they_ have anything in common with each other?"

"Not that we know of," Tatsumi shook his head, "we only know their names."

"Yeah," Tsuzuki sighed, seeing that they weren't really getting anywhere, "the only thing Bunpei told me about his girl is that her name is Nana."

"Nana?" Watari lifted his head up. "Strange, the guy I interviewed also said that the girl he was with was named Nana."

"Probably just a coincidence." Konoe shook his head.

"Really?" Tatsumi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Curiously enough, the guy I interviewed said that the name of the girl he was cheating with was Nana."

Everyone looked at Hisoka, as if expecting him to say the same thing. He shook his head and said, "Mr. Yagura said that the girl's name was Azami."

Tsuzuki groaned, "And I thought we had a lead."

"We may still have one." Konoe said. He turned to Tatsumi and told him, "I want you to gather all the names of the cheating girls. If enough of the same name pops up, then we might have something."

Tatsumi gave a single nod. The Chief told everyone, "We should have the results by this afternoon. Until you receive the word, you are all on temporary standby."

Everyone nodded and left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>10:46 a.m., Kyoto, Tenshin Hospital<strong>

Somehow or another, despite his vacation time and the event that happened last night and this morning, Muraki was able to get back into the swing of things. As of right now, he was looking over a patient who had just had his leg amputated due to a severe case of gangrene. So far, the patient, Ranmaru, was doing fine in his recovery.

As Muraki was leaving the room to check up on another patient, he bumped into someone, dropping his clipboard in the process.

"Oh," Muraki bent down to pick up the clipboard, "pardon me-."

Just as he grabbed the clipboard, a hand came to rest on his. He looked up and he was surprised at who he saw. It was Tsuki, but she was in a white nurse's outfit. She smiled and said to him, "Kazutaka-chan! I didn't know you worked _here_!"

Muraki's eye twitched at the mention of "Kazutaka-chan". Did she really think she was that close to him, or did she not have any proper respect for doctors*? Irritated, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I work here as an assistant nurse."

"Then how come I've never seen you here before?"

"I just got the job two days ago."

_So she got the job during my vacation_, Muraki thought to himself. He said curtly, "Please stay out of my way; I have a lot of work to do."

"Aw, are you not happy to see me?" Tsuki pouted.

He stared at her face. The more he looked at her, the more she started to look like Tsuzuki. He forced himself to look away from her and said, "I must get back to my work."

He started to walk away, but then stopped. Without turning around, he added, "It's rude not to address a doctor as 'sensei', you know that, right?"

Muraki could feel another headache coming as Tsuki called back, "See you at lunch, Kazutaka-chan!"

* * *

><p><strong>1:20 p.m., Nagasaki, <strong>_**The Sheep's Delight**_

_The Sheep's Delight_ had actual customers when Tsuzuki dropped in. Several people were seated and being served by lovely young waitresses, but out of those waitresses, he did not see Catherine. He took a seat with his back to the wall and he looked over the menu.

After deciding what he wanted, yet not lowering the menu, he took out his new cellphone and flipped it open. Just a few hours ago, Chief Konoe had given him a crash course on how to use this innovative, yet complex, piece of technology. Of course, Tsuzuki mostly messed up by accidentally deleting certain numbers and selecting odd settings. Finally, though, he had managed to get the phone numbers of all his friends at the Ministry without accidently deleting them.

The Chief had told him that he would call him once Tatsumi got the list of names of the cheating girls. Afraid that the ringtone might be too soft, Tsuzuki selected the settings once more and adjusted the loudness of the ringtone. So far, it looked like he hadn't screwed anything up.

"Hello again, Tsuzuki-san!" A familiar, chipper voice spoke up.

Tsuzuki lowered his menu and he saw Catherine's face once more. Just seeing her up close again made him blush. He said, "Hey Catherine-san."

"Is the food that good," she pulled up a chair and sat next to him, "or did you come here for something else?"

"Well, uh," he rubbed the back of his head in a gesture of embarrassment, "funny you should say that…"

"Oh, yeah…" Catherine's cheeks blushed and she turned her head away. She slowly stood up and asked, "Well, what can I get for you today?"

"Uh," Tsuzuki raised the menu to hide his face, "a slice of chocolate mousse pie with the French blend coffee."

"Coming right up!"

Tsuzuki kept his face covered. Why was he acting like a fool again? Maybe he really _was_ in love with Catherine. He only felt this way one other time: when he met one of his clients, Hisae Tojyo. He danced with her, but in the end, she was destined to die shortly. Even in the afterlife, she went to a place where he could not follow, so he was forced to move on.

Then there was Muraki.

When Tsuzuki first saw him, he thought he looked like an angel. Of course, that was before he found out that he was a killer and that he murdered Hisoka years ago. On their second encounter on the Queen Camellia, he found out that the doctor loved him and, most of the time, he killed innocents just so that Tsuzuki would come to him.

Judging by his words and actions, Tsuzuki figured that Muraki just had a lust for him. However, in Kyoto, he found out that everything he hated about himself, like his eyes and his past, Muraki loved. Tsuzuki shuddered at the memory. Now that he thought about it, was it really love, or lust, that Muraki felt for him? Two nights ago, did Tsuzuki, in turn, genuinely feel the same way…?

"Tsuzuki-san?"

Tsuzuki lowered the menu and saw Catherine staring at him. She set the dessert plate and mug of coffee in front of him and tucked the silver platter under her arm. She asked, "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Sorry," Tsuzuki lowered his head, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Hm…" Catherine sat down beside him again. "Maybe you just need some time to relax. Are you busy for tonight?"

"Uh," Tsuzuki thought back, "I have work this afternoon, but I guess I'm-." A thought crossed his mind. He asked warily, "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"If it's a date, then yes. So," she leaned in close to him, "wanna go out tonight?"

"Are you serious? I mean, we've just met yesterday…"

Tsuzuki didn't know why he was acting the way he was now. The girl he fell in love with at first sight was asking him out, so why wouldn't he say "yes"? He felt his mouth go dry. He tried to speak, but no words would come out of his mouth. Catherine looked at him with pleading puppy-dog eyes, which made him blush more. Finally, he managed to croak, "Yes, let's…go."

"Yay!" Catherine squealed. "Let's meet here at seven, 'kay? Oh, but we haven't even exchanged phone numbers yet."

"Yeah, you're right." Tsuzuki took out his cellphone, as did Catherine, whose phone was a metallic pink with sparkling heart stickers on it. They exchanged numbers and Catherine soon trotted off, saying that she had to get back to work.

Tsuzuki proceeded to eat the mousse, which he found to be heavenly. As he ate, he couldn't help but overhear a nearby conversation.

"You know," one guy said, "Satoshi died last night."

"Satoshi?" Another male voice exclaimed. "No fucking way. How?"

"The same way these other guys are dying."

"Oh shit, not Satoshi…what did he do to deserve this?"

Tsuzuki remembered that the Ministry was not the only one who was affected by these mysterious deaths. All over Japan, family and friends were also affected. He ate the last of his dessert, picked up the bill, and went up to the front counter. He did not say anything as he paid Boss for the dessert and coffee. As he was about to leave, he heard Boss say, "Catherine-chan's very happy today. If I heard correctly, you two are going out on a date?"

"You overheard?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I'm sorry for the eavesdrop, sir, but I must say that I'm happy for you two."

"But this is only our second meeting!"

"'Seize the moment of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly.*' …To quote a certain someone from a certain book. The opportunity is before you, so why not take it?"

"Well, I guess you're right…"

A loud cellphone ringtone rang out in the entire café, and to Tsuzuki's embarrassment, it was his. Everyone turned to stare at him as he took it out and answered it.

"Tsuzuki," the voice on the other end was Konoe's, "Tatsumi has the list. Come back immediately."

"On my way." Tsuzuki said before hanging up. He took a quick glance around and saw that everyone present was staring at him. Maybe he had turned up the volume on his ringtone too much. He gave a nervous laugh and he quickly left.

* * *

><p><strong>6:30 p.m., Kyoto, Muraki's private suite<strong>

Personally, Muraki was glad that he did not have a night shift at the hospital, because he was exhausted when he returned home. He went to his room and changed into his comfortable clothes. After hanging up his doctor's jacket, he walked up to his bed and plopped backwards on it.

Though Tsuki said she would meet him for lunch, he made sure he was far away from her when he ate. Fortunately for him, she did not find him, nor did he see her for the rest of the day. For a while, he thought about going over to the Kokakuro and having a drink with Oriya, but he remembered that that was the place where he first met Tsuki. As a prostitute, she would most likely be there again.

From his dresser, a cellphone rang. Muraki stretched his arm to the dresser and picked up his cellphone. He flipped it open and, without really looking to see who was calling, he answered, "Yes?"

"Kazutaka-chan, you meanie!" A familiar voice said on the other end. "Why didn't you meet me at lunch?"

"Tsuki," Muraki sighed, "did it ever cross your mind that I didn't want to see you, and how did you get my number anyways?"

"You gave me your number last night, remember? Besides, I'm everything you've ever wanted, right?"

Muraki did not remember him giving her his phone number, and he certainly never said that she was everything that he had ever wanted. Sure, she looked a lot like Tsuzuki, but that didn't mean that he liked her. He wanted to make this point clear, so he said icily, "There is nothing between us. Don't call back." With that said, he hung up.

A minute afterwards, his phone rang again. He looked at the number, expecting it to be Tsuki again, but it was someone else's. He answered it, saying, "Yes?"

"Kazutaka-kun?" Another familiar, but weak, voice said.

"Ukyo-chan…" He relaxed when he heard her voice. He asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, but that doesn't mean I'm getting any better." The voice on the other end coughed a little before saying, "I just wanted to see how you were doing, Kazutaka-kun."

"You don't need to worry about me; you should focus on getting better."

"I wouldn't be a good fiancée if I didn't worry about you. So, how are things going these days?"

A lot had happened to Muraki over the past few days, but he did not want to tell Ukyo. It would be Hell on earth if she found out about Tsuzuki and Tsuki, not to mention his pastime of killing people for various reasons. He lied, "Work's stressful, but other than that, not much has happened."

"Have you used up your vacation days yet?" Ukyo asked. "If not, you could take a break and come visit."

Muraki tensed. He had already used five vacation days, and he had only just gotten back. If he told her that he had already used up his days, then she would ask why he didn't come see her. He could ask his higher-ups for an emergency leave and make up a reason, but he doubt they would believe him. An idea crossed his mind and he answered, "I can take some time off, if you really need to see me."

"Thank you." Ukyo sounded happy. "When are you coming?"

"I'll surprise you."

"Surprise me? Okay, I'll be waiting for you, then. I love you, Kazutaka-kun."

"I love you too, Ukyo-chan."

He hung up and he let his arm drop by his side. Muraki did have an idea on how to get to Ukyo fast, but he would need help from a certain unwilling Shinigami. He could sense him in Nagasaki, most likely investigating the mysterious deaths that kept popping up in the news. If Tsuzuki was still there tomorrow, then he'll be able to take the subway there and confront him.

Of course, now he had to figure out how to make him comply with his demands.

* * *

><p><strong>7:00 p.m., Nagasaki, outside of <strong>_**The Sheep's Delight**_

Tsuzuki met Catherine outside of the café just shortly before 7:00 came. She wore a sleeveless, skinny white dress and red high heels. There was blue eyeliner over her eyes and there was red lipstick on her lips. Tsuzuki, not really knowing what to expect, just wore a white t-shirt, a pair of black pants, and a black jacket. He offered his hand and asked, "So, where to?"

"Um," Catherine tilted her head up at the sky, "how about dinner? I think there's a seafood grill nearby."

"Sure." Tsuzuki took out his wallet and looked to see how much money he had left. A frown spread across his face when he saw that he didn't have much left. He wasn't paid that much, and he had spent half of his money on yesterday and today's desserts. A look of embarrassment appeared on his face and he asked, "Uh, how about Takoyaki* instead?"

"You don't have the money?" Catherine pouted.

"No." Tsuzuki lowered his head in shame. "I don't get paid until the end of the week."

"Wow, that sucks. Okay then, Takoyaki it is!" Catherine took Tsuzuki's hand in hers and tugged, urging, "Come on!"

"Okay okay, just stop pulling so hard!"

They both walked down the street until they came to a Takoyaki stand. They each bought a small bag of the octopus dumplings and they ate as they continued their walk. Tsuzuki didn't know where they were going; he just followed Catherine. As they walked, he replayed the events of the afternoon meeting in his head.

Unfortunately, the names _were_ just a coincidence. There were loads of names on the list, but not a lot of them were the same. At most, there was three of the same name of the list, which didn't really provide a lead. However, everyone couldn't help but notice that the victims only disclosed the first names of the cheating girls, with all of them saying they were never told their last names. It was an interesting fact, but it didn't bring up any leads.

On the walk, Catherine finally stopped at a bench and sat down, pulling Tsuzuki down with her. Tsuzuki saw that they were still on the same street, and that they were facing a dance school. Catherine said, "I like this spot."

"Hm?" Tsuzuki asked with his mouth full of Takoyaki.

"From here, I can watch the dancers practice through the windows. I want to learn how to dance like that, but…" She sighed, "With the prices of rent rising, I don't really have the money."

After swallowing his food, Tsuzuki noted, "Well, waitresses usually don't get paid that much."

"I'm not just a waitress; sometimes I help make the desserts."

Tsuzuki stared at her with surprise. He asked, "You can _make_ those delicious treats?"

Catherine nodded with a smile on her face and said, "I'm a good cook when I want to be."

"You know," Tsuzuki gave a small laugh, "I used to think the same way, but everyone tells me that my cooking's horrible!"

"Really? I can teach you how to cook, if you want."

"Would you really do that for me?"

She nodded enthusiastically. Tsuzuki said, "If you can do that, I'll teach you how to dance."

Catherine's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really? It's a deal then!" She wrapped her arms around Tsuzuki and squeezed tightly. She whispered in his ear, "It's like we were meant for each other."

Tsuzuki said nothing, but he couldn't help but hug her back. He hadn't felt this happy in a while. Maybe they _were_ meant for each other; maybe it _was_ love at first sight. They stayed in their embrace for many long minutes, saying nothing, but savoring the moment.

At some point, Tsuzuki yawned and Catherine, noticing this, asked, "You tired?"

He only nodded and rested his head against her shoulder. She laughed and told him, "Hey, don't fall asleep here! Come on," she stood up and pulled Tsuzuki to his feet, "you can sleep at my place for tonight."

That statement made him alert again. He protested, "Isn't it a little too soon-?"

"_Please_?" Catherine made puppy-dog eyes at him.

He couldn't resist those eyes and that pleading voice of hers. He found himself saying, "Well, if it's just one night-."

"Yay!" Catherine beamed, grabbed Tsuzuki's hand, and pulled him down the street like an excited child.

* * *

><p><strong>That took a while, but I have finished another chapter. Next time, another nightmare is just around the corner.<strong>

***= Doctors are addressed as "sensei" or "senpai". "Chan" is used to address girls, young children, grandparents, and lovers. Tsuki already thinks of Muraki as her lover, but to Muraki, the use of "chan" is an insult.**

***= This quote is from Leo Tolstoy's **_**War and Peace**_**.**

***= Takoyaki are fried octopus dumplings, though they are snacks and not considered to be a full meal.**

**I write this fanfiction just so I can get it out of my head and onto the computer. If anyone likes it, then that's a happy bonus for me. Of course, due to work, I will have less time to work on this fanfiction, but it shouldn't really be a problem, since I have yet to have any fans for this story.**


	5. Stage 3

**Disclaimer: Maybe in some parallel universe, I would own Matsushita-san's **_**Yami no Matsuei **_**and Atlus's **_**Catherine**_**, but in this universe, I don't.**

**This chapter contains blood, gore, and disturbing sexual imagery.**

* * *

><p><strong>Stage 3: The Torture Chamber<strong>

For a minute, Muraki was standing in the middle of darkness, but then the familiar magenta light poured in from an open doorway. He found that he was carrying a pillow under his arm and that he was once again wearing nothing but his gray boxers. He looked around and saw that several sheep were with him.

"You've come." The child's voice spoke. "Tonight's area is the Torture Chamber, where traitors are put to rest."

"Torture Chamber?"

"Traitors?"

"This can't be happening!"

These were among the various exclamations of the sheep. Muraki was the first to walk through the door, followed by the other sheep. He found himself standing on another row of blocks, close to the bottom of another tower. He looked around and he was immediately greeted by the overwhelming smell of blood.

Everywhere he looked, there were cages, spinning saw blades, hanging meat hooks, racks, and other such devices that looked like they belonged in a torture porn film. All of these instruments were soaked with blood, and some of them had bits of meat stuck to them. Muraki was not new to blood and suffering, so he was not entirely bothered by the background. He pulled out a block and he started his climb.

About a fourth of the way there, he came across a sheep that was running down a row of blocks. When he reached the end, spikes shot out of the block he was standing on. Instead of skewering his feet like Muraki imagined they would do, the spikes somehow caused the sheep to liquefy into a puddle of blood, leaving nothing but bones, _human_ bones, behind. Once the spikes had shot out, however, they suddenly shattered into many little pieces. Not questioning just what happened, Muraki pulled out some more blocks and continued his ascension.

He stood on another row of blocks, but he saw that the top of one of the blocks was different. Instead of white, it was a dull gray with bloodstains on it. Muraki could tell that it was another one of those trap blocks. When that one sheep got caught in the trap, he stopped on top of it instead of running past it or hanging over the edge to avoid it. Just as he was thinking about what he should do, someone suddenly shoved him forward. He fell face first and his eye widened when he saw that his head was only a few inches away from hitting the trap block.

As he was about to get up, someone ran over him and ran across the trap block. The spikes shot out, but they did not hit the sheep that ran past it. The spikes shattered and Muraki slowly got to his feet. He figured that the block would be safe to cross, now that the spikes were gone, but he gritted his teeth at the sheep that shoved and trampled over him. He saw that the sheep was now pulling out a series of blocks to climb and Muraki, without really thinking, ran at him, grabbed him by the back of his neck, and threw him over the edge.

The sheep screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell. He grabbed onto a ledge, but his grip gave way and he continued to fall. Muraki grimaced as he saw the sheep land on top of one of the spinning saw blades, cleaving him in half. Blood flew into the air and the two halves of the sheep plummeted to the abyss below.

"That will teach you." Muraki muttered as he climbed the blocks the sheep had pulled out.

He had heard from the other sheep on the last level that they were all really human, and he didn't have a hard time believing it. He felt no guilt from throwing that one sheep, after all, he shoved him and he was in the way. Besides, all of this was a dream, so there were no real consequences.

Muraki came across several more trap blocks, but he ran past them with ease. He soon reached the top, pulled on the chain, and ascended the stairway of blocks that led to the landing. As expected, there were sheep all over the place. He ignored them and went straight to the confessional.

He sat down on the bench and he said to the figure on the other side, "Let's get this over with already."

"Aren't we in a bad mood today?" The child's voice said. "You know, I can't help but notice that you killed that one sheep."

"What of it?"

"Do you kill in your dreams as much as you do in real life? Ah, don't answer, that was not my question. Here is my question:

"Are you a pervert?"

Two chains dropped down: "I don't think so" and "There's no use denying it". Muraki growled, "You have guts asking me that, kid."

"Threaten me all you want," the voice sounded bored, "but you're not going anywhere until you answer my question."

Muraki lowered his head. Yes, he was a pervert, but he did not want to admit it. Yes, he raped that kid one time, and he had sick fantasies about Tsuzuki, but he never told anyone, not even Oriya. At work and around Ukyo, he was a normal man, but in private, he was a sick pervert. However, he did not want that voice knowing, so he pulled down the "I don't think so" chain.

"Hm," the voice thought out loud, "are you really telling me the truth, I wonder?"

"You wanted my opinion," Muraki said in a low voice, "and I gave it to you."

"Well, true. Okay then, I'll send you on up."

The booth shook as it shot straight up into the air.

* * *

><p>Tsuzuki sat on one of the pews, feeling sick. He was not new to the smell of blood, and he hated it. The smell reminded him of all the innocents he had failed to save because of Muraki, and of his unspeakable past. He felt like throwing up, but he couldn't.<p>

"Hey," a voice spoke up, "are you alright?"

He lifted his head up and saw a sheep standing next to him. The sheep wore a yellow shirt with the words "I don't care if it's a lie, I like cake" written on it. Tsuzuki answered him, "I hate this smell."

"I know what you mean." The sheep covered his nose with one hand. "This smell brings nothing but bad memories, right?"

Tsuzuki stood up and asked, "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." The sheep inhaled deeply and said out of the blue, "Two of my friends died today."

"What?" Tsuzuki couldn't believe this sheep was telling him this.

"Yeah, you heard me." The sheep lowered his head. "One was a victim of those mysterious deaths on the news, and the other hung himself when he found out. Damn it!" He slammed his fist on the pew. He sat down, put his other hand over his eyes, and started crying.

Tsuzuki felt sorry for him. Not knowing what else to do, he put a hand on the sheep's shoulder and told him, "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," the sheep apologized, "I don't know what came over me. I just wanted to let it all out."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I just want to be alone." The sheep waved a hand towards the confessional and told Tsuzuki, "You go on ahead."

Tsuzuki decided to respect the sheep's wishes and left him alone. He walked into the confessional and sat down on the bench, waiting for the voice to say something.

"Hello again, little lamb." The child's voice greeted him.

"Tell me," Tsuzuki said, "why is there blood everywhere?"

"I can't answer you; I didn't make the stages."

"Then who did?"

"The person who's trying to kill you; it's someone you know."

"What?" Tsuzuki peered into the window of the other booth, but he saw no one. He asked, "Who is it?"

"Sorry, but I'm not supposed to say anything. Instead, I'll have you answer another one of my questions.

"Have you ever gotten a bloody nose from excitement?"

Two chains dropped down: "No" and "Well…". Tsuzuki thought that was an odd question. He tried to think back to a possible time where he got a bloody nose from excitement…and he soon remembered one moment. When he was on the _Queen Camellia_, Muraki challenged him to a poker game, with information and his body on the line. He lost miserably to the doctor, and he was quickly cornered. Despite being afraid, his body betrayed him and blood leaked out of his nose.

_"Oh, what's this?" _Muraki had asked him. _"Are you looking forward to this, Tsuzuki-san?"_

Cringing at the memory, Tsuzuki reached for the "Well…" chain and pulled it down.

"It seems like you're being honest with me," the voice said, "unlike some sheep. Tell you what, I might as well tell you a little something. You see, at the very end of these trials is a Cathedral. If you reach it, then the nightmares will end."

"Really?" Tsuzuki perked up. "How far am I then?"

The voice laughed, "You're not even at the halfway point, lamb."

"Then send me up already!"

The booth shook and rose to the next level. When it stopped, the curtain opened up and Tsuzuki stepped out. The smell of blood was stronger than on the last level, and he instinctively pinched his nose. He looked up, groaned, then uncovered his nose so that he could pull out some blocks.

He came across several trap blocks, but he already knew how to handle them. Any that were below his feet, he just ran past. For trap blocks that he pulled out afterwards, he climbed on top of them then quickly jumped off of them before the spikes could pierce him. From there, the tower was easy. Tsuzuki figured that he was getting better at climbing.

He reached the top with ease and he ascended to the landing. Once more, there were several sheep present, some sitting, some standing around, and a few thinking up of techniques at the chalkboard. He walked up to the chalkboard and saw two sheep standing by it. One had no distinguishing characteristics while the other he recognized as the sheep with the single eye.

"Hey." Tsuzuki greeted them. He looked at the one-eyed sheep and said, "I see you're still alive."

"As are you." The one-eyed sheep only said.

"I've seen some of the other sheep go over techniques," the other sheep said, "so I thought I would try to come up with some of my own. It's hard, I'll tell you, but it's a good thing I have this sheep," he motioned to the one-eyed sheep, "to help me out."

"Can I join in?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Sure. Well, my assistant here came up with the first one." The sheep looked at the single-eyed sheep and asked, "Would you do the honors?"

"I might as well." The sheep sighed.

He explained that as long as two blocks' edges connect, they don't fall, so using this principle, he came up with this technique. Sometimes, the lowest block to climb was out of reach, but by pushing a block and having it connect at the edges of the block below it, it will not fall, therefore creating an extra platform. This could also be used to cross small gaps between blocks. The one-eyed sheep didn't give the technique a name, so the other sheep dubbed it "Suspending".

"Wow," Tsuzuki was impressed, "that _does_ work."

"It took me a moment," the sheep said, "but I came up with this move." He pointed at an already drawn diagram of blocks on the board with a piece of chalk.

At times, one would come across a stairway (or make one of their own) and they'll find a block they would have to pull out. However, since they are already standing on a single block, pulling that one out would cause them to fall back. As long as there is plenty of space on the ground level of the stairway, this is nothing to worry about. Just keep pulling blocks back one by one until a new stairway is created. The sheep called this move the "Pullback".

"Wait," Tsuzuki noticed something, "what if there isn't any space on the ground level?"

"Then the technique would be completely pointless." The one-eyed sheep shook his head.

"Yeah." The other sheep lowered his head.

The one-eyed sheep scratched his chin in thought, then said, "I've seen blocks set in odd places before. If I could," he looked at his partner, "I would like to draw out a variation of your technique."

The sheep lifted his head back up and said, "Go ahead; whatever helps."

The one-eyed sheep started drawing many squares and cubes, saying, "I can't really show you a 3-D model, but I hope this gets through your heads."

Blocks can be stacked all over the place, but they can be pulled out the same way as in the "Pullback", with the exception that the blocks are pulled out in different directions instead of just one. Because of this, this technique is called the "Tornado", since the blocks that are pulled out in sequence resemble a tornado spiraling downwards.

"I think I get it," Tsuzuki nodded his head, "but wouldn't it be more like a 'Whirlpool' instead of a 'Tornado'?"

"Call it what you want." The one-eyed sheep turned his head away from Tsuzuki.

"So, is there anything else you can teach me?"

"Not at the moment, unfortunately." The other sheep sighed. "If we think of anything else, though, you'll be the first to know."

"Thanks." With nothing else really going on, Tsuzuki made his way to the confessional. He sat down on the bench and waited for the voice to speak.

"And so you're still here." The voice muttered.

"Why do I have the feeling that you want me dead?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I'm not picking any favorites this early in the trials. You're almost done for the night, but you still have a nightmare to face."

Tsuzuki remembered the arms from last night and he asked, "I have to face those arms _again_?"

"I don't know; this is your dream, isn't it? Before I send you up, I'll have you answer another one of my questions.

"Has being embarrassed ever turned you on?"

Two chains dropped down: "Yes" and "No!". Tsuzuki didn't understand the point of these questions. He thought back to his most embarrassing moments. He had plenty of moments throughout his afterlife, but the only times that his embarrassment turned him on was when he fumbled in Muraki's presence. He felt his face go hot and, with his head hung low, he pulled down the "Yes" chain.

"Hmm," the voice said thoughtfully, "I think I'm starting to understand you now."

"Don't get any wrong ideas about me!" Tsuzuki warned him.

"Maybe my thoughts about you will change, if you manage to survive the night, that is. One piece of advice: if you want to live, then you will have to control yourself."

"What does that mean?" Tsuzuki did not like the sound of that.

The voice chuckled, "You'll see soon enough."

The booth shook and it ascended to the last level. When Tsuzuki stepped out, he sensed that something was different. He wrinkled his nose. Not only did the place reek of blood, but it was also filled with the stench of…semen.

**"You've come back for more, Tsuzuki-san?"**

Tsuzuki's blood froze. He had just heard Muraki's voice, and it was coming from the bottom of the abyss. Something scurried upwards and he screamed at what he saw.

The thing was a giant posterior with legs for arms and vice versa. On each cheek was a large eye, one gray, and the other bluish-gray. It had a walrus muzzle and an elephant nose, both very phallic in appearance. From the crack between the cheeks, a pointed tongue poked out and licked the sides of its face.

"Oh gods!" Tsuzuki covered his mouth in horror, yet he felt his face flush. He felt sick looking at this monster, yet at the same time, his body was aroused. He shook his head, turned around, and pulled out a block to climb. Somewhere, he heard a female voice announce, "The Immoral Beast has appeared. It's the killer. Do not die."

"Immoral is right!" Tsuzuki said to himself as he kept climbing.

There were more trap blocks than usual, but he managed to get past them. He tried his best to focus on the blocks and not the…thing that was after him. He did not dare look down to see how close the monster was to him. He instead looked up and saw that he still had a ways to go.

**"I know you want me."**

"No I don't!" Tsuzuki yelled back. He picked up the pace and now found himself halfway at the end.

**"'Fuck harder!', you begged me."**

Tsuzuki heard the sudden bellowing of an elephant. He looked down just in time to see the nose of the monster spray white liquid all over him. He froze as he realized what had just happened. He frantically tried to rub the slime off of him, but it refused to come off. The smell of semen overwhelmed him and he dropped to his knees.

He felt himself burning up and his nether regions ached. He gasped for breath and he looked down at the approaching monster. Somehow, it was not as scary as he had originally imagined. Lustful thoughts filled his mind and he gulped. He muttered, "Oh fuck…"

Tsuzuki wanted that thing inside him, and he wanted it in him _now_. He stood up on shaky legs and was about to jump off the block he was on to embrace the monster when he suddenly remembered the voice's earlier advice. He had said to him, _"If you want to live, then you will have to control yourself."_

"Gah!" Tsuzuki shook his head and backed himself against the block wall. What the hell was he _thinking_? Revulsion filled him and he managed to recollect his rational thoughts. He went back to work on pulling and climbing blocks, not noticing that the slime was slowly evaporating off of his body.

**"You're not getting away."**

The elephant's bellowing came again, but Tsuzuki did not stop this time. Below him, he heard a spraying sound slowly making its way up to him. He continued moving until the sound finally stopped. He soon heard the ringing of the church bells and he finally made it to the top.

"Yes!" Tsuzuki cried out triumphantly. He turned the doorknob and opened the door. He knew that behind the white light, he would be able to escape from the nightmare.

**"I won't let you leave, Asato!"**

The monster also managed to reach the top, to which Tsuzuki cried out in horror. He screamed, "Leave me alone!"

The light from the door shone brighter and further until it seemed to brush against the monster. It cried out in pain and it soon exploded in a flash of light. When he saw that it was gone, Tsuzuki put a hand over his beating heart and he gave a loud sigh of relief. He walked through the door and into the light.

* * *

><p>Muraki stayed behind at the landing for a few more minutes. He tried to come up with new techniques with the sheep, but he couldn't focus anymore. Deciding that he should move on, he went to the confessional and sat down on the bench.<p>

"I'm surprised you're collaborating with the other sheep." The voice said.

"I'm just looking for easier ways to climb these damn blocks." Muraki muttered.

"I wouldn't get too friendly with them if I were you. After all, everyone is going to die in the end, but before you die, I want you to answer me this.

"Do you have to carefully choose which underwear to wear each day?"

Two chains dropped down: "Yes" and "Not really". So far, that was the stupidest question Muraki heard all day. He pulled down the "Not really" chain.

"You know," the voice said, "at the end of these trials, there is a Cathedral. Once you reach there, the nightmares will end."

"When will I get there, then?" Muraki asked impatiently.

"Don't get your hopes up; you still have a long way to go. Besides, there's something waiting for you up ahead."

"What is it?"

"You'll see soon enough."

The booth shook and it shot up into the air. When it stopped, the curtain opened up and Muraki stepped out. Right off the bat, he could sense that he was being watched.

**"You bastard!"**

From the depths, an emaciated woman in a white gown shot up. She had long, aqua hair and sunken, dark blue eyes. Patches of dark green skin covered her throat and tears were pouring out of her eyes like miniature waterfalls. Muraki stared at the giant woman and he asked, "Ukyo?"

**"How could you do this to me, Kazutaka? You're my fiancé!"**

She raised a clawed hand into the air and Muraki had to move just before she slammed it onto the block he was standing on, which crumbled into pieces and fell into the bottomless abyss. Muraki knew that the thing that looked like Ukyo was trying to kill him, but since he had no real way of fighting back (he tried to use some of his spells back at the Underground Cemetery, but they would not work), all he could do was run. He pulled a block out and began his climb. Somewhere, he heard a female voice announce, "The Heartbroken Lover has appeared. It's the killer. Do not die."

**"Do you enjoy cheating on me?"**

Muraki did not stop to answer the monster. He figured that whatever it was, it was preying on his own worries and fears. Yes, he had feared that Ukyo would find out about Tsuzuki and Tsuki, and that fear had been on his mind when he fell asleep. Along the way up, he came across more trap blocks, but he ran past them with ease.

**"You heartless bastard!"**

Muraki heard the monster cough several times, and he heard something fly through the air. He kept moving and he heard several "splats" behind him. He turned around and saw that green slime had covered the row of blocks he had just crossed. Before his eyes, the blocks quickly dissolved into nothingness. Figuring that the monster was now spewing acid, he kept moving. As long as he didn't stop, then he wouldn't die.

During his climb, the monster spat acid at him several more times, but he managed to avoid all the attacks. At last, he could hear the church bells ringing and he made it to the top. He grabbed the knob of the door and swung it open. White light poured out and Muraki instantly felt relieved.

**"How could you do this? I thought you loved me!"**

The woman reached the top and towered over Muraki. Muraki glared and shouted at it, "You're not Ukyo!"

The light became brighter and it quickly engulfed the woman. She screamed in agony and she vanished in the light. Seeing that she was gone, Muraki walked through the door, closing it shut behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>Blech! I've always hated the Immoral Beast from <strong>_**Catherine**_**, yet I made this version worse than the original! Next time, Tsuzuki comes across a surprise, and Muraki seeks Tsuzuki once again.**

**Sorry that took so long! So, this story will be temporarily postponed, unless I get any reviews telling me to continue.**


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